A Discrete Elements Study of the Frictional Behavior of Fault Gouges.

A series of discrete elements simulations is presented for the study of fault gouges' frictional response. The gouge is considered to have previously undergone ultra-cataclastic flow and long-time consolidation loading. We explore the effect of different particle characteristics such as size, polydispersity, and also shearing velocities on gouge's response under the conditions met in the seismogenic zone.